Dershaw&Co.Intelligence for the business of desire
The White Space  ·  by Dershaw & Co. The House Read  ·  Coach vs. Ralph Lauren  ·  Wednesday, November 4, 2026

The Bag vs. the Sweater

Coach and Ralph Lauren both report earnings tomorrow at 8 AM. Before the numbers land, I read what she's actually buying from each, at Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Revolve. One sells the bag. One sells the sweater. Both want her at $400 to $800.

2,014$65 Polo boys' sweaters sold at Macy's in 5 days
1,225Coach bags sold in its top Macy's slots, same 5 days
60%of US teen girls name Coach their favorite handbag brand
Neiman Marcus Saks Bloomingdale's Macy's Revolve
The poll · closes Thursday morning

Team Tabby or Team Polo Bear?

Whose stock has the better Thursday? Cast your vote on LinkedIn. I'll share the results, and grade my own call, after the bell. Not investment advice, just bragging rights.

Play first: five rounds

Coach or Ralph: which sold more?

Every pair sold at the same store, in the same window. Bloomingdale's and Macy's show how many of each style sold. Pick the one you think moved more.

Round 1 of 5
Two quick questions

Guess the number. Spend the $500.

1

How many $65 Polo boys' quarter-zip sweaters did Macy's sell in five days?

500
2

You have $500 for one bag. Which do you buy?

From my merchant's eye

Coach sells the bag. Ralph sells the sweater.

Andrew Dershaw · Founder, Dershaw & Co. · 25 years in luxury retail and wholesale

What's sellingCoach: the Tabby, in the top 5 at every store I read. Ralph Lauren: a $168 cable-knit that sold 549 in ten days at Bloomingdale's, and a $65 boys' sweater that sold 2,014 in five at Macy's.
The surpriseRalph Lauren is a different brand at every store: a $55 cap on Revolve, a $59.50 boys' shirt at Macy's, a $168 sweater at Bloomingdale's, a $498 bag at Neiman Marcus.
The numbers behind itThe middle price of Coach's top 10 climbs with the store: $222 at Macy's, $288 at Bloomingdale's, $385 at Saks, $395 at Neiman Marcus.
The Polo ID questionThe Polo ID tells you everything about where a brand belongs. At Neiman Marcus, it leads the list. At Bloomingdale's, it barely moves next to a $168 sweater that sells 549 in ten days. If I were still on the buying side, I'd build the Polo ID business at the luxury stores first and let the knitwear carry the department stores.
The scorecard

Five rounds: 2 to 2, and the middle decides it

Shop the best sellers

15 styles actually selling, from both houses

Every style holds a best-seller slot at the store named this week. Units are the store's own counts.

Product links are ShopMy affiliate links: if you buy through one, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the ranking. Prices as listed November 3–4; some are on sale.

Store by store

The higher the store, the higher Coach sells

The middle price of each brand's 10 best sellers, by store. Ralph Lauren is Polo women's at Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's, all labels at Macy's.

Coach's top 5, store by store

Ralph Lauren's top 5, store by store

What each house sells

Coach is a bag house. Ralph Lauren is four houses.

Share of each brand's best-seller slots by category, at the two stores that show units.

The top 10s

Each brand's 10 best-selling styles, by units

Coach

    Ralph Lauren

      Units are the store's "bought in the last 5 or 10 days" badges at Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Only some slots show one, so these are floors, not totals. Coach's top four are all at Macy's; its fragrance sets sit in paid slots.

      This week's white space

      The American middle

      The tiebreaker is $400 to $800, and Coach owns it. At Macy's, Coach sold 165 bags there in five days to Lauren's 55. At Bloomingdale's, 79 in ten days to Polo's 28. Ralph Lauren has built its ladder right there, with the Polo ID at $498, $598 and $798. At Neiman Marcus it leads Polo's list, though often at 30% off.

      For brandsShe trusts Ralph Lauren for a sweater and Coach for a bag. The house that earns the other category wins the middle.
      For buyersThe knit is your traffic driver and the bag is your ticket. Put the $168 cable-knit and the $395 Tabby on the same table this holiday.
      For retailersAt Bloomingdale's, 11 of Coach's top 20 slots are sponsored. At Macy's, its two biggest sellers are $49 scent sets in paid slots. The Tabby earns its place anyway.
      The trade calls

      Buy, watch, ease off

      Buy into
      • Coach Tabby and Rogue at $395–795
      • Polo cable knits at $168–268
      • Polo scarves for gifting
      Watch
      • Whether the Polo ID sells at full price
      • How much of Coach's top of page is paid
      • Both houses' price increases holding
      Ease off
      • Coach's $95–175 Plaza minis in paid slots
      • Polo bags above $800
      Tomorrow, 8 AM

      What I'll be listening for

      Coach (Tapestry)+15%Coach, last quarterHandbag prices were up mid-teens and about 35% of its new customers last year were Gen Z. Listen for bag prices holding without discounts. The stock fell about 16% after August on a soft outlook.
      Ralph Lauren+13%last quarterPrices per item were up 15%; women's, outerwear and handbags grew more than 20%. Listen for whether the Polo ID is part of that 20%, and whether higher prices keep holding.

      My call: Coach's bag is still the engine. Ralph Lauren is selling more units than anyone, and its prices are climbing with them. Better quarter: Ralph Lauren. Better next five years in the middle: Coach. I'll grade myself tomorrow.

      Send it on

      Know someone on Team Tabby?

      Forward this to the buyer, the brand or the friend who'll argue with you about it. The White Space is free, and every edition reads what's actually selling.

      How the House Read is built

      • Bloomingdale's: Coach (64 slots of 410), Ralph Lauren all labels (60 of 2,563), Polo Ralph Lauren women (60 of 490) and Polo handbags (30 of 91), each sorted by Best Sellers, November 3, 2026. Units = the store's "bought in the last 10 days" (some 5 days) badges.
      • Macy's: Coach (61 slots), World of Ralph Lauren (60) and Ralph Lauren handbags (40 of 292), sorted by Best Sellers, November 4. Units = "bought in the last 5 days" badges.
      • Neiman Marcus: Coach (31 styles) and Polo Ralph Lauren women (first 40 of 120), Best Seller sort, November 4. Saks: Coach by Best Sellers (first 24 of 37), November 3; its Polo page showed a security check and isn't included.
      • Revolve: Polo Ralph Lauren by Most Popular (first 40 of 308), November 4; Revolve doesn't carry Coach bags. coach.com: Women's Bestsellers, November 4.
      • Units are floors, not totals, and windows differ by store. Medians use list prices. Sponsored slots are labeled by each store. This is a read of what's selling, not investment advice.

      Sources

      Edition 05: The Gift List →   The House Read: Prada →